The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1887-04-30
A MISE a,s pr DOG
How a Terrier Mourns the Death of Mas
ter Missed by No Human Friend

ter Missed by NO Human Friend.
Rover. the old canine friend and com
panion of miscr Joe Perry. lonely and
broken-hearted. keeps a faithful watch
in the silent yard of his dead masters
house on Locust street Hour by hour.
day and night, he lies watching the
time-worn door and whines and paws
at its rotten boards. But it doesn't
open as it was wont to do at his hghtest
scratch. He whines out his grief as he
used TO bark his opinions at neighbor-
ing ours. 1t would have been a char
liable ending if old Rover had been
found dead in the little back room wit.
the old miser and his partner. The
woman who keeps the grocery store
next door TO the house of gold and filth
pushes food to the dog through hole in
the fence every day. but Rover seldom
touches it and is daily growing weaker.
The little terrier has a stubby tail.
short legs and a shaggy coat of sorrel
color hair He was pup when given
to Perry a number of years ago.
Rover was the only living thing that
shared the miser's fullest confidence.
When Perry would leave the house TO
collect debt or visit a liquor saloon
Rover was generally trotting by his side
If the miser should go away without
Rover it would not be loag before the
dog would discover the absence of his
master and start to search for him. The
terrier was well known in the neighbor-
hood.
While looking for Perry he would
peep into the nearby groggeries and if
the miser was not to be found in the
saloons the dog would soon be scratch
ing the door of old John McGougL :
house. If he found Perry he would
jump about him. paw his legs and give
unmistakable evidence that he wanted
him to come home. If Perry was ready
he would follow the dog, but should his
talk of avaIice be not complete he
would tell Rover to go and make . tour
among the garbage buckets of the al
leys. And Rover would go and do as
directed. Some times the dog would
find Perry in one of the saloons buying
his daily supply of rum. If the misel
fingered too long Rover would show his
impatience by tugging at the tattered
trousers of the recluse.
On several occasions the boarding
auctioneer got a buriensome load of
bad whisky aboard and was helped 20
his door by colored men, who repali
themselves by relieving the miser of
his silver time-piece and its Shoe-strine
chain. but it never happened while the
terrier was around.
There is pear tree in the ward and
when this was bearing its fruit. then
was the time that little Rover had to
be vigilant. He was not only faithful
and sagacious but cunning. Two years
ago an eight-year-old pickaninny was
peeping into the yard with his Whit
eyebails turned wistfully to the pe.sf
tree. Rover saw him but pretended
that he was asleep. until the darkey
stepped in and made for the tree. Then
the terrier made dash for the gate
and cut off the frightened lad. The
dog barked his loudcst and brought out
Perry. who caught the robber But II
was unfortunate for the old man, as
the pickaninny was vicious and he
struck the miser on the head with =
stone and made his escape.
Rover was caught by the dog-catch-
ers about two years ago. 1t was early
on a spring morning and the dog wa.
out on a hunt for one of the old men
who had slipped away for the matuti-
nal supply of corn-juice. The terrier
had been away from the house but a
few minutes when he was seen by a
dog-catcher on Locust street. Rover
made a heroic endesvor to get back
home, but the darky and his big net
were too much for him and he was
soon among whelps, mongrels and
ours in the wagon of the pound man.
Perry heard the yells of the dog and
hurried into the street He made q
piteous appeal for the release of his
terrier, but the men refused to free
Rover until the owner had paid the
fine. After exerting himself for twenty
minutes the miser was crushed to find
that he couldn't secure reduction on
the fine. but his love for the dog was
great and he finally brought out the
! money and the terrier was released
I M